290: Ryan King – Shechem The Place of Decision

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Welcome to Good Chris Elfion
Talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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We post a new episode at the
start of each week with the

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short intro beforehand to kind
of set the stage for the talk

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you’re about to listen to.
And now, let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
Hi, everyone.

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It’s Jason Hensley.
And this week we are going to be

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listening to a class by brother
Ryan King called Shechem, the

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place of Decision.
And there’s a lot of things I

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really like about this class.
One of my favorite things about

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it is that it’s about something
we don’t talk about very much.

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When was the last time you heard
a class about a place maybe for

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you?
That’s something you hear about

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a lot just for me and my
experience.

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We don’t talk about places that
often.

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You know, we’ll do book studies,
character studies, thematic

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studies, but a place.
So I think that’s kind of neat

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to be able to trace Shechem
throughout the Bible.

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This is actually class 2IN an
entire set that Brother Ryan did

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called Geography of the Holy
Land.

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And so the whole set is about
various things that we learn

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from the land of Israel and
places that it shows up in the

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Bible.
So I think the whole set is

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great.
If you get the chance, I highly

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recommend listening to it.
The only thing is, you might

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want to also have a map.
Now I recognize a lot of you

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listen to this while you’re
driving, so I’m not please don’t

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look at a map while you’re
driving, but you might just find

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it helpful to spend a little bit
of time just looking online at a

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map of Israel.
Not saying you need to be

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looking at it while you’re
listening to the classes, but

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just spend some time to get it
in your mind.

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Now in addition to that, I want
to also note that this series of

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classes was given at the Terra
Nova Bible School in

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Newfoundland.
Now I think that’s just kind of

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cool because you know, that’s
like exotic.

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And in addition to that, I say
that because when you hear

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Brother Ryan mention new fees,
he’s talking about people from

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Newfoundland.
Maybe you know that already.

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Maybe you don’t need me to tell
you that.

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But I feel like that’s just an
important thing because he’s

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going to mention new fees in the
class.

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And if you’re just listening to
it and you’re like, what?

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What is that?
I just wanted to, you know, let

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you know.
That’s what he’s talking about.

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He’s referring to people from
Newfoundland.

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So I hope you enjoy this class.
It’s Brother Ryan, King Shechem,

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the place of decision.
In our study yesterday, we

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endeavored to just give you a
nice layout of the Land of

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Israel with its various
sections.

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And we saw that the Land of
Israel is divided up into a hump

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with two planes on either side.
It sort of follows a a hump like

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shape across the breadth of its
territory.

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You may have remembered that
there are three ranges of hills

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along this hump.
There are the Galilee hills in

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the north.
There are the Samaritan hills in

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the center.
That’s where we’ll be this

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morning at Shechem and the
Judean hills in the South and on

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the other side of these plains.
This is known as the Hill

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Country.
Jerusalem happens to be right

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about here.
This morning will be at Shechem,

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which is about here along these
hills.

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They range about 3 to 3 1/2
thousand feet high.

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And then when you go on either
side, you drop down to the

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floor.
So on either end of the hump

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there are two famous plains.
There is the Plain of Sharon,

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which is on the western side,
and then there is what’s known

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as the Arabah.
It’s on the eastern side, which

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is the term that the scripture
uses for the depression of the

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Jordan Valley as it slopes down
towards the Dead Sea.

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The Dead Sea in certain parts of
scripture is called the Sea of

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the Arabah.
It appears in the AV as the Sea

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of the plain.
So it’s very, very easy to

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remember.
You’ve got 3 ranges of hills

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down the center and then plains
on either side.

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This morning we want to look at
a very famous place which is

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right in the center of the land
at Shekel.

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Another fact that we pointed out
yesterday, brothers and sisters,

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was, is that the land reinforces
the principles of Scripture that

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we know to be true.
It serves as a confirmation, if

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you like, of what we know to be
true in the faith.

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Both our doctrinal principles as
well as our moral principles are

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verified by the Land of Israel.
And one of the principles that

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we have to come to grips with
when we come to a knowledge of

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the truth is this, that every
day is a struggle.

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Every day we have to make a
choice.

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The Lord Jesus Christ says that
if you’re going to follow after

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me, you must take up your cross
daily.

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And it just so happens that
there is a place in the land of

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Israel that reminds us of that
very important principle.

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This morning I’d like to take
you.

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The place is known as Shechem.
Now check em.

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Just looking at that map, what
do you notice about it straight

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away?
Well, it’s the physical center

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of the land.
It’s right in the very heart of

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the Hill Country, and it’s about
the same distance to either end

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either to the Plain of Sharon or
down to the Arabah.

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It’s right in the middle.
It’s the physical centre of the

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land which thereby highlights
it’s important.

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So it’s obvious that if there’s
going to be anything significant

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about this place, it must be
very, very important because God

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put it right in the centre.
Now I’d like to open our studies

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in First Kings Chapter 12.
Very, very quickly we’re going

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to see a principle established
with Shechem that you and I have

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to make every day.
You know in the truth we’re

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never able to be content with
ourselves.

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Every day has to be a struggle.
First Kings chapter 12.

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We read something peculiar that
what they did with the new king

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Rehoboam.
Now we’re told in first Kings

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chapter 12 and Rehoboam went to
Shechem, for all Israel will

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come to Shechem to make him
king.

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Now Rehoboam was going to be the
king over the Kingdom of Judah.

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The Kingdom of Judah, of course,
its capital was Jerusalem, and

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he was going to go back to
Jerusalem, and he was going to

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sit on David’s throne.
But that wasn’t where they

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anointed.
In order that they might make

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rehoboam king over all Israel,
they took him to Shechem.

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Now, why would they take him to
Shechem when he’s going to go

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down to Jerusalem and sit on
David’s throne?

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Well, establishes here once
again a very important principle

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for which Shechem stand, and
we’d like to look at that

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principle right now.
The first person to ever come to

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this place, quite appropriately,
was Abraham.

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He’s the father of the faith.
He’s the one that we’re supposed

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to, So he is the first that
comes to Shechem.

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And in Genesis chapter 12, we
see an important principle set

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down when Abraham comes to this
place.

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And we’ll figure out from this
why it was that they took

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Rehoboam to Shechem, of all
places, to be anointed king over

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Israel.
If we come back to Genesis

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Chapter 12, the first stop by
Abraham in the land, and he must

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have come to many different
places as he went, came down

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from Haran, way up in the north,
and he was removed, as Stephen

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says in Acts Chapter 7, into the
land.

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Now there must have been many
places that he would have come

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to.
He came from, from way up here

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in Haran, down into the land of
Israel.

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He might have had many stops
along that journey, but the

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Bible only points out one It was
Abraham’s first stop when he

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entered the Promised Land.
He came to Shechem.

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Now, as we’ve said before, good
Bible study is based upon good

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Bible reading.
Very few of us will ever become

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experts at Greek or Hebrew.
But we can be good contextual

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students of the Bible, and we
can be careful readers.

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And sometimes the Bible says so
much by just reading.

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Notice how Genesis chapter 12
and verse five reads it says

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there in Genesis 12 verse 5.
And Abram took Suraya, his wife,

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and Lot his brother’s son, and
all their substance that they

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had gathered and the souls that
they had gotten in Hereun.

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And they went forth to go into
the land of Canaan and into the

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land of Canaan.
They came.

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So you notice how the end of
verse five is almost redundant.

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They went to go into the land of
Canaan.

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OK, I would expect that they
went into the land of Canaan

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then.
But the rest of the verse says,

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And into the land of Canaan they
came.

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And Abram passed through the
land unto the place of Shechem,

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unto the oak of Moray.
And the Canaanite was then in

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the land.
Well, wouldn’t you expect that

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if they went into the land of
Canaan verse five, that it’s

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logical that the people that you
would find would be Canaanite?

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Yeah, I arrived here on Friday
night in the land of

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Newfoundland.
I expected that when I got to

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Newfoundland I would find
newfies.

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Of course, when he’s going into
the land of Canaan, he’s going

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to find Canaanites.
Why is the record emphasizing

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this?
Well, it says at the end of

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verse 6.
And the Canaanite was then in

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the land.
And then verse 7, Yahweh

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appeared unto Abram and said
unto Thy seed, will I give this

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land?
But it’s absolutely swarming

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Canaan.
So what are you going to do,

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Abram?
Are you going to believe God,

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who’s told you that he will give
you this land as a possession?

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Or you can look around you and
see all the Canaanites.

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You’re going to look around and
see all the people in the world

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and everything seemingly so
permanent.

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Are you going to mingle
yourselves with the Canaanites,

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or are you going to believe God
and the promise that he has

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made, and he made that
particular choice at Shechem.

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What did Abraham decide?
Well, it says there at the end

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of verse 7.
And there Bill did he an altar

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unto Yahweh who appeared unto
him.

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He had a choice.
He could either separate from

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the Canaanites, or he could
assimilate with the Canaanite.

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And there Abram made that
decision.

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Keep separate.
He builded an altar unto Yahweh.

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And so enshrined in this place
of Shechem is the principle of

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decision.
God created this place on to

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teach this important lesson and
ever after, Whenever anybody

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came to Shechem in the record of
Scripture, we find that they had

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an important decision to make,
either to choose life or to

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choose death.
Abraham comes here in Genesis

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chapter 12.
He’s got a choice.

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The Canaanite is then in the
land.

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We believe God.
Or do we mingle with the

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Canaanites?
In Genesis chapter 34 and 35,

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Jacob and his family came.
They were coming back from Paden

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Arum after he had served in his
uncle Laban’s house for 40

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years, and he said to his family
at Shechem, put away the strange

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gods that are among you.
Do it here at Shechem.

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Of course they were coming back
with some Lucky Charms that they

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had gotten in the land of
Pedenarim.

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And Jacob said to his family,
We’re going up to the House of

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God, We’re going up to Bethel,
Put him away right here at

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Shechem.
It was, of course, at Shechem

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where Dinah made her decision to
go out and see the daughters of

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the lamb.
In Genesis Chapter 37, Joseph

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went to keep his father’s flock
at Shechem, the record set.

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And he goes to find his
brothers.

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And.
And they’ve disappeared.

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They had gone to Dothan, a word
which means two wells.

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You see, they wanted it both
way.

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That took place in Genesis
chapter 37 at Shechem.

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00:13:37,680 –> 00:13:41,040
He came to seek his brethren,
and he didn’t find them.

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00:13:42,800 –> 00:13:47,240
When the children of Israel came
into the land, Moses gave Joshua

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00:13:47,240 –> 00:13:51,160
a very clear instructions.
He says The day you crossover

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00:13:51,680 –> 00:13:55,720
into the land, you take the
people to Shechem and there you

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00:13:55,760 –> 00:13:58,480
chant the blessings and the
cursings and you tell Israel

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00:13:58,640 –> 00:14:02,840
that they’ve got to make up
their mind. 6 Tribes on Evil 6

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00:14:02,840 –> 00:14:09,720
on Gerizim Make up your mind.
Who is it that you are going to

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00:14:09,720 –> 00:14:11,880
serve?
We’re not done yet.

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00:14:12,920 –> 00:14:16,440
Joshua Chapter 24.
When Joshua was giving his

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00:14:16,440 –> 00:14:19,440
famous farewell speech to the
people, he took the people back

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00:14:19,440 –> 00:14:24,040
to Shechem.
And there he said, choose you

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00:14:24,040 –> 00:14:31,360
this day whom ye will serve.
Put away the strange gods that

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00:14:31,360 –> 00:14:34,720
your father served on the other
side of the flood, Choose you

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00:14:34,720 –> 00:14:37,440
this day.
And he told them that here at

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00:14:37,440 –> 00:14:42,160
Shechel in Judges Chapter 9,
we’re going to read about a man

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00:14:42,160 –> 00:14:45,680
named Jotham, whose name means
Yahweh is upright.

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00:14:46,640 –> 00:14:50,560
This Bramble King Abimelech had
made himself king after the

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00:14:50,560 –> 00:14:54,000
death of Gideon.
He’d slain the 69 sons of

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00:14:54,000 –> 00:14:59,160
Gideon, proclaimed himself a
king, and Jotham escaped.

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00:14:59,880 –> 00:15:02,200
And he ran up on top of Mount
Gerizim, and he gave the men of

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00:15:02,200 –> 00:15:04,160
Shechem a charge.
Who do you want?

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00:15:05,080 –> 00:15:08,040
Do you want to follow in the
ways of my father, or do you

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00:15:08,040 –> 00:15:12,000
want this Bramble king Abemola?
And in order to do that, he

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00:15:12,000 –> 00:15:16,080
called out from the top of Mount
Gerizim at Shechem, and the men

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00:15:16,080 –> 00:15:19,320
of Shechem there had to make up
their mind.

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00:15:20,440 –> 00:15:25,600
Is it any wonder then why when
Rehoboam was crowned king, they

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00:15:25,600 –> 00:15:29,800
took him to Shechem?
Even though he was going to go

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00:15:29,800 –> 00:15:33,360
down to Jerusalem and sit on
David’s throne, they took him to

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00:15:33,360 –> 00:15:39,320
that place, to Shechem, that
there he might be made king.

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00:15:40,600 –> 00:15:42,360
That was where Jesus met the
woman of Samaria.

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00:15:43,560 –> 00:15:45,800
And she said to him, our father
said, it was in that mountain

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00:15:45,800 –> 00:15:47,760
that you ought to worship.
What do you say?

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00:15:47,760 –> 00:15:52,320
And he said, salvation is of the
Jew.

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00:15:53,480 –> 00:15:56,720
You need to make up your mind
who it is that you’re going to

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00:15:56,720 –> 00:15:59,920
worship, whether it’s the
plethora of the gods of the

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00:15:59,920 –> 00:16:03,400
Samaritans or the one true God
of Israel.

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00:16:04,080 –> 00:16:06,240
She had to make up her mind in
that place.

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00:16:06,240 –> 00:16:09,960
So in both Old and New
Testaments, we see that this

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00:16:09,960 –> 00:16:14,840
principle is made very, very
clear at this one little place

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00:16:14,840 –> 00:16:17,680
right in the middle of the land
called shekel.

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00:16:18,240 –> 00:16:22,200
And it reminds us, brothers and
sisters, that each day we also

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00:16:23,080 –> 00:16:27,640
have to come to Shekel.
We have to make up our minds who

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00:16:27,640 –> 00:16:32,560
it is that we are going to
follow, whether we’re going to

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00:16:32,560 –> 00:16:36,600
follow our own instincts, the
gods that we served before we

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00:16:36,600 –> 00:16:41,160
were baptized, or whether we’re
going to pitch our tent and

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00:16:41,160 –> 00:16:45,440
build an altar unto Yahweh as
Abram did.

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00:16:45,960 –> 00:16:50,000
And you know, you’ll find that
in all of these events, there

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00:16:50,000 –> 00:16:52,760
are connection.
It’s not just that they happened

266
00:16:52,760 –> 00:16:56,240
in the same place, but there are
word connections.

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00:16:56,400 –> 00:17:01,480
There are thematic connections
between all of these events.

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00:17:01,640 –> 00:17:05,920
You’ll find that Jacob in
Genesis chapter 35 draws on the

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00:17:05,920 –> 00:17:09,599
incident of Genesis chapter 12.
You’ll find that Joshua and

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00:17:09,599 –> 00:17:14,319
Joshua 24 quotes from Jacob in
Genesis chapter 35.

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00:17:14,839 –> 00:17:19,079
We’ll find that Abimelech in
Judges Chapter 9.

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00:17:19,079 –> 00:17:22,839
When he wanted to make himself
king, he went back to Genesis 12

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00:17:23,040 –> 00:17:26,640
in order to give his New Kingdom
quote, UN quote, some

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00:17:26,640 –> 00:17:30,280
legitimacy.
And so they’re all connected.

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00:17:30,920 –> 00:17:35,160
So God took this one place in
the land right in the very

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00:17:35,160 –> 00:17:38,840
center, and memorialized this
principle.

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00:17:39,440 –> 00:17:42,560
It’s something that we all
understand, but God gave us all

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00:17:42,560 –> 00:17:46,760
of these events at Shechem to
remind us of what we must do

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00:17:47,120 –> 00:17:50,160
each and every day.
Let’s just look at some of the

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00:17:50,160 –> 00:17:54,520
parallels that we find in these
incidents come firstly to that

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00:17:54,520 –> 00:17:56,960
one there in the center in
Joshua, Chapter 24.

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00:17:58,520 –> 00:18:02,520
You know the Tabernacle during
the time of Joshua and Judges

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00:18:02,520 –> 00:18:06,400
was at Shiloh.
Shiloh is maybe about 20 miles

284
00:18:06,400 –> 00:18:10,120
South of Shechem.
Since that was where the

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00:18:10,120 –> 00:18:12,120
Tabernacle was.
You would think that Joshua

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00:18:12,120 –> 00:18:14,080
would have gathered all the
people together to Shiloh.

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00:18:16,160 –> 00:18:18,720
But Joshua chapter 24 and verse
one tells us.

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00:18:20,360 –> 00:18:27,120
And Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem, and

289
00:18:27,120 –> 00:18:31,760
called for the elders of Israel,
and for their heads, and for

290
00:18:31,760 –> 00:18:33,240
their judges, and for their
officers.

291
00:18:33,240 –> 00:18:36,480
And they presented themselves
before God.

292
00:18:37,640 –> 00:18:40,520
Joshua said unto all the people.
Thus saith Yahweh Elohim of

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00:18:40,520 –> 00:18:42,960
Israel, your father’s dwelt on
the other side of the flood in

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00:18:42,960 –> 00:18:47,400
old time, even Terah, the father
of Abraham, the father of Nahor.

295
00:18:47,400 –> 00:18:51,400
And they served other gods.
So he takes them back here to

296
00:18:51,400 –> 00:18:54,320
the initial call of Abraham in
Genesis chapter 12.

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00:18:54,320 –> 00:18:57,400
And where was the 1st place that
Abram came to in Genesis chapter

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00:18:57,400 –> 00:18:59,600
12?
It was Shechem.

299
00:19:00,400 –> 00:19:04,360
Look down at verse 14.
He now gives them a charge,

300
00:19:04,360 –> 00:19:07,960
having recounted some of their
history to them in verses 2 to

301
00:19:07,960 –> 00:19:11,000
14.
Verse 14 says Now, therefore,

302
00:19:11,000 –> 00:19:18,040
fear Yahweh and serve him in
sincerity and in truth, and put

303
00:19:18,040 –> 00:19:22,960
away the gods which your father
served on the other side of the

304
00:19:22,960 –> 00:19:26,680
flood in Egypt, and serve ye
Yahweh.

305
00:19:26,680 –> 00:19:29,320
It’s very similar to the choice
that Abraham had to make in

306
00:19:29,320 –> 00:19:33,040
Genesis chapter 12.
Isn’t it either the Canaanite or

307
00:19:33,040 –> 00:19:35,720
Yahweh?
And if it seemed evil unto you

308
00:19:35,720 –> 00:19:40,560
to serve Yahweh choose you this
day whom ye will serve?

309
00:19:40,560 –> 00:19:44,160
And he said that here, Shechem,
this Shechem’s all about having

310
00:19:44,160 –> 00:19:47,920
to make a choice, whether the
gods which your father served

311
00:19:47,920 –> 00:19:50,480
that were on the other side of
the flood, or the gods of the

312
00:19:50,480 –> 00:19:55,520
Amorites in whose land ye dwell.
But As for me and my house, we

313
00:19:55,520 –> 00:19:59,000
will serve Yahweh.
So we told the people there in

314
00:19:59,000 –> 00:20:04,880
verse 14 to serve God in
sincerity and in truth.

315
00:20:04,880 –> 00:20:12,160
Now those two were very often
come up in the history of

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00:20:12,280 –> 00:20:16,200
Shechem, serve him in sincerity.
The the word actually means to

317
00:20:16,200 –> 00:20:19,640
be without whack, to be
completely crystal clear.

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00:20:20,240 –> 00:20:23,360
And in truth, the word means to
be straight up and down.

319
00:20:23,800 –> 00:20:26,320
It’s where you’ve got to make a
firm choice.

320
00:20:26,800 –> 00:20:30,280
What you want to do now?
Just come over a few pages to

321
00:20:30,280 –> 00:20:33,640
Judges Chapter 9.
Let’s come to the next event

322
00:20:33,640 –> 00:20:35,600
that took place there at
Shechel.

323
00:20:36,680 –> 00:20:44,240
Gideon has died and one of his
sons, Abimelech, now makes

324
00:20:44,240 –> 00:20:47,520
himself a king.
You know, we want to to learn in

325
00:20:47,520 –> 00:20:50,280
Sunday school and and we teach
our, our Sunday school students

326
00:20:50,280 –> 00:20:52,720
that Saul was the first king of
Israel.

327
00:20:53,280 –> 00:20:56,800
And of course he was.
He was the first divinely

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00:20:56,880 –> 00:20:58,920
appointed king of Israel.
But you know, there was a king

329
00:20:58,920 –> 00:21:00,640
in the land of Israel long
before Saul.

330
00:21:01,880 –> 00:21:04,440
He was an impostor, a self
appointed king.

331
00:21:04,440 –> 00:21:08,000
His name was Abimelech.
In the the cycle of the judges

332
00:21:08,000 –> 00:21:14,400
he happens to be the 6th judge
because he represents the man of

333
00:21:14,400 –> 00:21:16,840
Sid.
He stands up and he proclaims

334
00:21:16,840 –> 00:21:19,480
himself a king.
And he says in verse two of

335
00:21:19,480 –> 00:21:22,440
Judges Chapter 9, Speak, I pray
you in the ears of all the men

336
00:21:22,440 –> 00:21:25,720
of Shechem, whether it’s better
for you either that all the sons

337
00:21:25,720 –> 00:21:30,000
of Jared Bell, which are 70,
reign over you, or that one

338
00:21:30,200 –> 00:21:32,520
reign over you.
Remember that also that I am

339
00:21:32,520 –> 00:21:36,520
your bone and your flesh.
You know, do we really need 70

340
00:21:36,520 –> 00:21:38,760
people to to lead us?
Why can’t we just have one?

341
00:21:39,760 –> 00:21:41,960
So he stands up and he makes
himself a king.

342
00:21:42,720 –> 00:21:46,160
And in order to give some sort
of legitimacy to this new quote,

343
00:21:46,160 –> 00:21:50,640
UN quote Kingdom that Abimelech
was establishing, look where he

344
00:21:50,640 –> 00:21:55,400
go verse 6.
And all the men of Shechem

345
00:21:55,640 –> 00:22:00,560
gathered together and all the
House of Millow and wint, and

346
00:22:00,560 –> 00:22:07,000
made Abimelech king by the plain
of the pillar that was in

347
00:22:07,160 –> 00:22:10,360
Shechem.
Now if you have a margin for

348
00:22:10,360 –> 00:22:14,640
that phrase by the plain of the
pillar, you’ll see that the

349
00:22:14,640 –> 00:22:22,400
margin has #5 or by the oak of
the pillar.

350
00:22:22,840 –> 00:22:27,800
So he was made king by the oak
of the pillar.

351
00:22:28,400 –> 00:22:32,080
Now where have we read in
scripture about an oak at

352
00:22:32,080 –> 00:22:35,200
Shechem?
Well, it was back in Genesis

353
00:22:35,200 –> 00:22:39,160
chapter 12 and verse 6 where it
says Abram passed through the

354
00:22:39,160 –> 00:22:46,400
land unto the place of Shechem
unto the oak of Moray.

355
00:22:46,920 –> 00:22:49,680
The word plain as it is in the
AV really should be rendered as

356
00:22:50,080 –> 00:22:52,920
oak.
So it was likely that same oath

357
00:22:53,840 –> 00:22:58,000
that Abimelech now comes and he
makes himself king over the

358
00:22:58,000 –> 00:23:00,040
land.
He wanted to give some sort of

359
00:23:00,040 –> 00:23:02,640
legitimacy to his Kingdom.
So he goes back to the very

360
00:23:02,640 –> 00:23:09,040
place where Abraham was first
called and 1st brought that he

361
00:23:09,040 –> 00:23:13,040
might say.
Now I am king, will the men of

362
00:23:13,040 –> 00:23:14,400
Shechem have to make up their
mind?

363
00:23:15,880 –> 00:23:16,880
Who is it are you going to
serve?

364
00:23:16,880 –> 00:23:18,840
Is it this new Bramble king
Abimelech?

365
00:23:20,280 –> 00:23:23,080
Or is it going to be Yahweh who
our father Gideon stood with?

366
00:23:23,320 –> 00:23:28,720
Gideon said, I’m not going to
rule over you, Yahweh shall rule

367
00:23:28,720 –> 00:23:32,080
over you.
And so when Jotham who’s the one

368
00:23:32,080 –> 00:23:38,400
son left, the other 69 are dead,
Jotham, whose name means Yahweh,

369
00:23:38,400 –> 00:23:41,120
is upright.
He stands up in verse 7 And he

370
00:23:41,120 –> 00:23:45,320
goes to the top of Gerizim, and
lifted up his voice, and cried,

371
00:23:45,320 –> 00:23:49,560
and said, Hearken unto me, ye
men of Shechem, that God may

372
00:23:49,560 –> 00:23:53,200
hearken unto you.
Verse 17.

373
00:23:53,200 –> 00:23:56,520
My father fought for you, and
hazarded his life, and delivered

374
00:23:56,520 –> 00:24:00,480
you out of the hand of Midian
verse 18 And you are risen up

375
00:24:00,480 –> 00:24:02,800
against my father’s house.
To say, see, Abimelech was

376
00:24:02,800 –> 00:24:06,600
rebelling against the House of
Gideon, and have slain his sons,

377
00:24:06,600 –> 00:24:09,720
3 score and 10 persons upon one
stone, and have made Abimelech

378
00:24:10,280 –> 00:24:14,040
the son of his maidservant king
over the men of Shechem, because

379
00:24:14,040 –> 00:24:18,200
he is your brother.
If then Now where do these words

380
00:24:18,200 –> 00:24:23,800
come from?
If then ye have done truly and

381
00:24:23,800 –> 00:24:27,760
sincerely with Jeroboel and with
his house this day, then rejoice

382
00:24:27,800 –> 00:24:29,400
ye with Abimelech.
If that’s who you want to serve,

383
00:24:29,920 –> 00:24:33,440
serve him.
But if not, verse 20 Let fire

384
00:24:33,440 –> 00:24:35,680
come out from Abimelech and
devour the men of Shechem.

385
00:24:36,600 –> 00:24:39,040
And Jotham ran away in verse 21,
and he flees.

386
00:24:39,440 –> 00:24:42,040
So he left the men of Shechem
before he went away with that

387
00:24:42,040 –> 00:24:44,600
choice.
Do you want to serve this

388
00:24:44,600 –> 00:24:49,680
Bramble King Abimelech?
Or do you want to serve God in

389
00:24:49,680 –> 00:24:51,680
sincerity?
And in truth?

390
00:24:52,200 –> 00:24:57,480
He was quoting from Joshua’s
speech in Joshua chapter 24.

391
00:24:57,800 –> 00:25:01,040
So not only is there the
principle of choice here at

392
00:25:01,040 –> 00:25:05,040
Shechem, but you’ve also got to
do it in sincerity and in truth.

393
00:25:05,640 –> 00:25:10,400
Not in malice or in wickedness,
but in sincerity and in truth.

394
00:25:10,840 –> 00:25:13,120
And as we’ll see in a moment,
there are consequences to that

395
00:25:13,120 –> 00:25:17,920
decision, as there are
consequences to all of the

396
00:25:17,920 –> 00:25:20,480
decision that we make.
And we need to take those in

397
00:25:20,480 –> 00:25:24,080
mind when we make the decisions
that we do.

398
00:25:25,200 –> 00:25:28,840
John Chapter 4.
If the Lord Jesus Christ said

399
00:25:29,680 –> 00:25:34,720
with all of this history in
mind, I must needs go through

400
00:25:35,440 –> 00:25:39,400
Samaria, you know that wasn’t
the normal route that you would

401
00:25:39,400 –> 00:25:45,080
take to go back home to Galilee.
You would go over it to Perea,

402
00:25:45,360 –> 00:25:49,160
to the land across, and then go
up the eastern side of the

403
00:25:49,160 –> 00:25:52,280
Jordan.
But he said, I must needs go

404
00:25:52,280 –> 00:25:56,080
through Samaria.
I’ve got to go through Shechem

405
00:25:57,160 –> 00:26:03,800
John, chapter 4 and verse three.
He left Judea and departed again

406
00:26:03,800 –> 00:26:08,680
into Galilee.
And he must needs go through

407
00:26:09,040 –> 00:26:12,880
Samaria, Then cometh he to a
city of Samaria, which is called

408
00:26:13,440 –> 00:26:15,160
Cycar.
But that should be rendered

409
00:26:15,160 –> 00:26:17,240
Shechem.
And we know that it’s Shechem,

410
00:26:17,240 –> 00:26:21,960
because it says it’s near to the
parcel of ground that Jacob gave

411
00:26:21,960 –> 00:26:24,720
to his son Joseph.
And of course, the the parcel of

412
00:26:24,720 –> 00:26:28,160
ground that Jacob bought where
Joseph was buried, according to

413
00:26:28,160 –> 00:26:30,200
Genesis, chapter 33 was up there
at Shechem.

414
00:26:31,720 –> 00:26:37,160
Now Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, therefore, being wearied

415
00:26:37,160 –> 00:26:41,240
with his journey, SAT thus on
that well, look.

416
00:26:41,240 –> 00:26:45,400
Look at how that’s put.
He sat thus on that well,

417
00:26:45,400 –> 00:26:48,000
knowing that this place was
saturated with history.

418
00:26:48,840 –> 00:26:55,840
He comes there and he sits down,
and he contemplates the history

419
00:26:55,840 –> 00:26:59,000
of that place, knowing all that
we’ve said this morning and a

420
00:26:59,000 –> 00:27:05,800
whole lot more.
And then a woman comes out, a

421
00:27:05,800 –> 00:27:14,160
woman of Samaria, whose life was
an absolute mess, and he starts

422
00:27:14,160 –> 00:27:16,760
speaking to her about water.
After all, he’s sitting upon

423
00:27:16,760 –> 00:27:21,880
Jacob’s well, and he’s going to
put before her the choice that

424
00:27:21,880 –> 00:27:25,880
she has to make.
He says in verse 13.

425
00:27:27,240 –> 00:27:29,920
Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again.

426
00:27:31,600 –> 00:27:33,800
But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him

427
00:27:33,800 –> 00:27:37,160
shall never thirst, but the
water that I shall give him

428
00:27:37,160 –> 00:27:41,840
shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting

429
00:27:41,840 –> 00:27:45,160
life.
The woman said unto him, Sir,

430
00:27:45,960 –> 00:27:49,720
give me this water, that I
thirst not neither come, hit her

431
00:27:49,720 –> 00:27:51,400
to draw.
You see, she wants the water of

432
00:27:51,400 –> 00:27:56,600
life, so that she won’t thirst
again, and that she won’t have

433
00:27:56,600 –> 00:28:00,040
to keep coming back here and
drawing water.

434
00:28:00,040 –> 00:28:01,560
See she?
She’s trying to come to grips

435
00:28:01,560 –> 00:28:03,160
with just what the Lord is
saying here.

436
00:28:03,160 –> 00:28:08,160
What is he talking about?
The water that I shall give, if

437
00:28:08,160 –> 00:28:10,800
you drink it, you will never
thirst again.

438
00:28:11,080 –> 00:28:13,960
What does he mean by that?
So she says, I I want the water.

439
00:28:16,480 –> 00:28:18,040
But we don’t get something for
nothing.

440
00:28:18,040 –> 00:28:21,880
In the truth, everything come
with a price.

441
00:28:23,160 –> 00:28:26,680
Everything come with probation
and testing.

442
00:28:27,680 –> 00:28:31,800
So Jesus gives her a test.
And he says go get your husband.

443
00:28:35,760 –> 00:28:38,480
My husband?
Yes, go get your husband.

444
00:28:38,640 –> 00:28:41,960
Verse 16 And and come hit her.
So what’s she going to do?

445
00:28:44,040 –> 00:28:46,400
She’s got quite a checkered
history.

446
00:28:48,560 –> 00:28:50,800
Well, she decided to tell the
truth.

447
00:28:53,120 –> 00:28:56,960
Verse 17.
The woman answered, and said, I

448
00:28:56,960 –> 00:29:01,200
have no husband.
Jesus said unto her, Thou hast

449
00:29:01,200 –> 00:29:04,760
well said, I have no husband,
for thou hast had five husbands.

450
00:29:04,760 –> 00:29:10,040
And he whom thou now hastest not
thy husband, in that thou

451
00:29:10,040 –> 00:29:16,720
saidest.
Now notice this word truly in

452
00:29:16,760 –> 00:29:23,040
that said, St. thou truly?
She had a choice.

453
00:29:24,200 –> 00:29:29,680
She could either tell the truth,
or she could spin a lie.

454
00:29:31,160 –> 00:29:37,840
She decided to tell the truth.
I have, he said, You’ve said

455
00:29:37,960 –> 00:29:40,400
true.
And of course the great issue of

456
00:29:40,400 –> 00:29:43,280
the day was, where is the true
place of worship?

457
00:29:43,760 –> 00:29:47,840
Is it in Samaria here, or is it
in Jerusalem?

458
00:29:48,440 –> 00:29:51,480
He says to in verse 22, Woman,
ye worship.

459
00:29:51,480 –> 00:29:55,400
Ye know not what we know.
What we worship for salvation is

460
00:29:55,400 –> 00:30:01,000
out of the Jew.
Not that it’s restricted only to

461
00:30:01,000 –> 00:30:03,880
Jews, but that it’s only
available to Gentiles through

462
00:30:03,880 –> 00:30:07,800
the Jewish Channel, and you need
to come to grips with that

463
00:30:07,800 –> 00:30:12,000
Salvation is out of the Jew.
But the hour cometh in.

464
00:30:12,000 –> 00:30:17,280
Now is when the notice this true
worshippers shall worship the

465
00:30:17,280 –> 00:30:21,720
Father in spirit and in truth.
Joshua and Jotham said in

466
00:30:21,720 –> 00:30:27,360
sincerity and in truth.
For the Father seeketh such to

467
00:30:27,360 –> 00:30:33,720
worship him God is spirit.
They that worship Him must do so

468
00:30:33,720 –> 00:30:36,720
in spirit and in truth, and they
had to.

469
00:30:37,320 –> 00:30:42,880
He said that she had to make up
her mind here in Shechem, in

470
00:30:42,880 –> 00:30:48,440
this place serve him in
sincerity and truth.

471
00:30:49,040 –> 00:30:51,920
So it should come as no surprise
to you, brothers and sisters,

472
00:30:52,680 –> 00:30:57,920
that the word Shechem literally
means burden bearer.

473
00:30:58,640 –> 00:31:01,840
If you were to sort of boil it
down to its actual Hebrew, it

474
00:31:01,840 –> 00:31:04,480
means between the shoulders.
And if you look at Shechem here,

475
00:31:04,880 –> 00:31:09,000
see, it looks like 2 shoulders.
There’s evil, there’s Gerizim,

476
00:31:09,600 –> 00:31:12,640
there’s Shechem in the middle.
It looks like 2 shoulder.

477
00:31:13,880 –> 00:31:16,520
Where you’ve got to make up your
mind, you’ve got to bear

478
00:31:16,680 –> 00:31:19,960
responsibility.
Life is not about avoiding our

479
00:31:19,960 –> 00:31:22,960
responsibilities.
Life is about accepting our

480
00:31:22,960 –> 00:31:27,120
responsibility.
And Shechem reminds us of that.

481
00:31:27,440 –> 00:31:30,440
The word is only used a handful
of times in Scripture.

482
00:31:30,440 –> 00:31:33,640
It’s first used of Shem and
Japheth who who put a garment

483
00:31:33,640 –> 00:31:39,080
upon their shoulder and covered
the the nakedness of their

484
00:31:39,080 –> 00:31:41,680
father.
And it’s a word that speaks

485
00:31:41,680 –> 00:31:45,360
brothers and sisters about
accepting responsibility.

486
00:31:47,600 –> 00:31:54,840
But saying yes, here am I send
me the way might be difficult,

487
00:31:55,800 –> 00:31:59,120
but I’m going to accept my
responsibilities.

488
00:31:59,200 –> 00:32:02,240
That’s the principle of Shechem,
and perhaps its most famous

489
00:32:02,240 –> 00:32:06,160
occurrence is in Isaiah Chapter
9 in a passage that I think we

490
00:32:06,160 –> 00:32:11,560
all know, Isaiah Chapter 9,
speaking about the Lord Jesus

491
00:32:11,560 –> 00:32:15,680
Christ and his Kingdom, where he
will faithfully accept the

492
00:32:15,680 –> 00:32:19,480
responsibilities that his father
has committed into his hand.

493
00:32:20,360 –> 00:32:24,240
And the word that Isaiah chooses
here, spirit through Isaiah

494
00:32:24,240 –> 00:32:30,320
chooses fittingly, is Shekel.
Firstly, he’s going to have to

495
00:32:30,320 –> 00:32:36,080
deal, as we know, with the
Assyrian the Russian Isaiah,

496
00:32:36,080 –> 00:32:39,280
Chapter 9 and verse four.
For thou hast broken the yoke of

497
00:32:39,280 –> 00:32:44,600
his burden and the staff of his
Shechem the word shoulder there.

498
00:32:44,600 –> 00:32:48,200
And verse four is Shechem the
rod of his oppressor, as in the

499
00:32:48,200 –> 00:32:53,960
day of Midian verse 6.
For unto us a child is born, and

500
00:32:53,960 –> 00:32:58,320
unto us a son is given, and the
government the government of the

501
00:32:58,320 –> 00:33:03,920
Kingdom Age will be upon his
shechem, his shoulder.

502
00:33:04,320 –> 00:33:09,000
He will faithfully bear the
responsibilities of the Kingdom

503
00:33:09,000 –> 00:33:12,600
of the millennial age.
He will be the father of the

504
00:33:12,600 –> 00:33:16,080
millennial age, as the phrase
everlasting Father there means

505
00:33:16,240 –> 00:33:20,480
the Father of the age, and the
Lord Jesus Christ will deal

506
00:33:20,480 –> 00:33:25,600
faithfully.
He will bear on his Shechem the

507
00:33:25,600 –> 00:33:31,440
responsibility that his Father
has given to it until the end of

508
00:33:31,440 –> 00:33:35,000
the thousand years, when he will
hand that back over to the

509
00:33:35,000 –> 00:33:39,240
Father, that the Father might be
all and in all.

510
00:33:40,640 –> 00:33:42,600
So I think we see that
principle, brothers and sisters,

511
00:33:42,600 –> 00:33:45,640
very clearly before us.
We have to make up our mind who

512
00:33:45,640 –> 00:33:52,080
it is that we’re going Sir.
The land reinforces all of the

513
00:33:52,080 –> 00:33:57,960
principles of our daily life.
Whenever I’m in difficulty, you

514
00:33:57,960 –> 00:34:02,120
can almost think about a place
in the land that reminds you of

515
00:34:02,120 –> 00:34:05,400
the decision that you have to
make or the position that you’re

516
00:34:05,400 –> 00:34:07,960
in.
God has given us the land to

517
00:34:07,960 –> 00:34:12,040
remind us of our lesson.
Now with every choice as we

518
00:34:12,040 –> 00:34:17,600
know, they are constant.
We don’t just make decisions and

519
00:34:17,600 –> 00:34:22,159
then nothing happens.
God is going to judge us based

520
00:34:22,159 –> 00:34:26,120
upon the decisions that we make.
Well, in order that we might be

521
00:34:26,120 –> 00:34:30,560
reminded of that, There are two
Mount at Shechem, you’ll see

522
00:34:30,560 –> 00:34:35,000
here, this is Mount Ebel and
this is Mount Gerizim.

523
00:34:36,920 –> 00:34:40,719
And Mount Ebel is the hill of
cursing.

524
00:34:42,040 –> 00:34:45,560
Mount Gerizim, here is the hill
of blessing.

525
00:34:45,560 –> 00:34:48,239
You know in Genesis chapter 12,
when Abraham comes to Shechem,

526
00:34:49,239 –> 00:34:53,320
he comes to Shechem right after
he’s told I will bless them,

527
00:34:53,320 –> 00:34:56,840
that bless thee and curse him
that curseth thee.

528
00:34:56,840 –> 00:34:58,480
And there we find those two
mountains.

529
00:34:58,920 –> 00:35:02,560
So the Israelites, when they
came into the land, put 6 tribes

530
00:35:02,560 –> 00:35:07,360
on evil, 6 on Gerizim, and in
the middle they were able to

531
00:35:07,760 –> 00:35:12,120
hear each other and echo the
blessings and the cursings of

532
00:35:12,120 –> 00:35:14,560
the law.
Let’s look at Mount Evil

533
00:35:17,200 –> 00:35:20,400
appropriately.
Evil means to be bald.

534
00:35:21,320 –> 00:35:24,240
So if we make the wrong
decisions in our lives, if we

535
00:35:24,240 –> 00:35:27,280
don’t produce fruit, we’re like
this mountain.

536
00:35:27,280 –> 00:35:34,800
Here evil means to be bald, and
you can see that most of it is

537
00:35:34,800 –> 00:35:38,520
dry and airy.
When you go there today, it

538
00:35:38,520 –> 00:35:42,080
looks exactly the same as it
would have in the days when

539
00:35:42,080 –> 00:35:47,800
Joshua took the tribes.
No life, no vegetation.

540
00:35:49,280 –> 00:35:54,800
It’s the hill of cursing.
We can either have a blessing or

541
00:35:54,800 –> 00:35:58,960
a curse.
You know, when Joshua, following

542
00:35:58,960 –> 00:36:01,280
the instructions of Moses, took
the tribes there, he put the

543
00:36:01,280 –> 00:36:04,320
altar here.
On Garrison.

544
00:36:04,560 –> 00:36:06,440
I mean, I’m sorry.
On evil, not on Garrison,

545
00:36:07,160 –> 00:36:10,160
because he knew the choice that
the people would make, You know,

546
00:36:10,160 –> 00:36:12,400
Moses said after my departing.
I know that you’ll corrupt

547
00:36:12,400 –> 00:36:15,720
yourselves until he put the
altar here on the hill of

548
00:36:15,720 –> 00:36:18,320
cursing.
Knowing, of course,

549
00:36:19,160 –> 00:36:26,200
prophetically what choice the
people would make, And evil is

550
00:36:26,680 –> 00:36:31,880
taller, slightly taller, maybe a
few 100 feet taller than gerizy,

551
00:36:33,280 –> 00:36:38,600
because as we know many are
called, few are chosen more

552
00:36:38,600 –> 00:36:43,800
choose cursing than blessing.
Many there be that go the

553
00:36:43,800 –> 00:36:47,840
Broadway of destruction.
Few that there be that find the

554
00:36:47,840 –> 00:36:52,880
narrow way to life.
So Ebel is higher than Garrison.

555
00:36:53,880 –> 00:36:55,760
Now I wanted to show you
something interesting about

556
00:36:55,920 –> 00:37:00,040
Mount Ebel.
Here is a map and as you can see

557
00:37:00,040 –> 00:37:04,200
here we’ve got Mount Ebel.
We find Mount Gerizim.

558
00:37:05,080 –> 00:37:10,160
Nablus, which is the modern name
for Shechem, is right here in

559
00:37:10,160 –> 00:37:13,280
the middle.
Nablus was meant to be the

560
00:37:13,280 –> 00:37:18,680
equivalent of Naples in Italy.
Now, because the Arabs can’t say

561
00:37:18,680 –> 00:37:23,160
PAH, they can only say Bah
Nablus.

562
00:37:23,280 –> 00:37:26,640
The Naples became Nablus.
It’s a it’s an Arab town today.

563
00:37:27,120 –> 00:37:31,640
Now you’ll notice that just not
far from Shechem is this place

564
00:37:31,640 –> 00:37:35,560
called Samaria.
So you can be here in Samaria

565
00:37:35,560 –> 00:37:40,280
and look right down the valley
to the town of Shechem.

566
00:37:40,920 –> 00:37:45,000
Now Samaria, as we know, became
the northern, the capital of the

567
00:37:45,000 –> 00:37:52,560
northern Kingdom of Israel, and
it was where a very famous king

568
00:37:52,560 –> 00:37:54,400
lived.
I’d like you to come to 1st

569
00:37:54,400 –> 00:37:57,600
Kings, chapter 22 and just show
you something about the the

570
00:37:57,600 –> 00:38:01,600
topography of the land, which
was almost as an indictment to

571
00:38:01,600 –> 00:38:05,600
this evil king.
His name was Ahab here in

572
00:38:05,600 –> 00:38:08,520
Samaria.
Of course, Ahab had many of

573
00:38:08,520 –> 00:38:11,800
these palaces.
He had one up here in Jezreel by

574
00:38:11,800 –> 00:38:15,520
Naboth, and he had one here in
Samaria.

575
00:38:16,920 –> 00:38:19,800
Amos refers to them in his
prophecy as the Winter House and

576
00:38:19,800 –> 00:38:25,320
the Summer House.
When First Kings chapter 22 and

577
00:38:25,320 –> 00:38:28,600
verse 39 we’re told about this
palace that Ahab built.

578
00:38:30,240 –> 00:38:35,320
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab
and all that he did and the

579
00:38:35,320 –> 00:38:40,000
Ivory house which he made and
all the cities that he built,

580
00:38:40,000 –> 00:38:42,840
are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings

581
00:38:43,520 –> 00:38:45,720
of Israel?
Now the interesting thing about

582
00:38:45,720 –> 00:38:51,320
that palace is, is they’ve
actually found it, the one in

583
00:38:51,320 –> 00:38:57,080
Samaria, Ahab’s ivory palace.
They’ve actually discovered this

584
00:38:57,080 –> 00:38:59,200
is the walls of Ahab’s palace in
Samaria.

585
00:39:00,360 –> 00:39:03,040
That is Ahab’s palace.
Archaeologists have proven that

586
00:39:03,040 –> 00:39:06,840
beyond all dispute.
And you know when you stand here

587
00:39:07,360 –> 00:39:11,240
at Ahab’s palace in Samaria and
you look down that valley as we

588
00:39:11,240 –> 00:39:16,840
just did on our map, you look
down towards Shechem and you

589
00:39:16,840 –> 00:39:19,000
look for the two mountains, Ebel
and Garazy.

590
00:39:19,880 –> 00:39:23,480
Guess which mountain is glaring
right at Ahab’s palace?

591
00:39:24,440 –> 00:39:28,600
Guess which mountain you cannot
see from Ahab’s pal.

592
00:39:29,880 –> 00:39:33,720
You can’t see Garazy.
The Hill of Cursing is just

593
00:39:33,720 –> 00:39:38,280
glaring right at him, looking
right at him as an indictment to

594
00:39:38,280 –> 00:39:42,600
that evil king who, who brought
in all this ivory from Africa,

595
00:39:43,280 –> 00:39:46,400
had taxed the people heavily so
that he, he and his wife could

596
00:39:46,400 –> 00:39:47,080
live.
Lavish.

597
00:39:49,080 –> 00:39:51,840
When you look down the valley
from Ahab’s palace, you can see

598
00:39:51,840 –> 00:39:55,560
evil.
Can’t see Gary, almost as an

599
00:39:55,560 –> 00:40:00,880
indictment to that King was the
land staring right at him.

600
00:40:02,760 –> 00:40:07,400
So we can have cursing.
We all know that sin brings

601
00:40:07,400 –> 00:40:11,120
suffering.
If we serve the flesh, it will

602
00:40:11,120 –> 00:40:15,360
only make us miserable.
In the end, our lives will be a

603
00:40:15,360 –> 00:40:17,600
mess.
We’ll be torment.

604
00:40:18,760 –> 00:40:22,560
Or we can have peace.
And that comes through gerizy.

605
00:40:23,160 –> 00:40:26,000
And the word gerizy means to be
Sep.

606
00:40:27,440 –> 00:40:32,040
It’s used of sort of of hedging
off something, of separating one

607
00:40:32,040 –> 00:40:35,200
thing from another, which is
really the choice that Abram had

608
00:40:35,200 –> 00:40:41,560
to make, separate or assimilate.
It’s the choice that Jacob gave

609
00:40:41,560 –> 00:40:44,720
his family.
Put away the strange God and you

610
00:40:44,720 –> 00:40:47,480
can go through all of the events
at Shechem and you’ll see that

611
00:40:47,960 –> 00:40:50,920
it’s blessing that comes through
separation.

612
00:40:51,080 –> 00:40:58,000
It’s greener than Mount Evil.
This is actually a a drawing of

613
00:40:58,120 –> 00:41:00,280
Garrison.
If you go there today, there’s

614
00:41:00,280 –> 00:41:03,400
more greenery on Gerizim than
there is on evil.

615
00:41:03,400 –> 00:41:06,120
It’s very easy to detect evil
because it’s just bald as can

616
00:41:06,120 –> 00:41:11,320
be, but Gerizim is a little bit
more lush, a little bit more

617
00:41:11,520 –> 00:41:17,960
vegetation on it.
It’s the Hill of Blessing, and

618
00:41:17,960 –> 00:41:20,560
we’ll have a little bit to say
about the hill of Blessing here

619
00:41:20,560 –> 00:41:24,400
in a moment.
Jotham went to the top of

620
00:41:24,600 –> 00:41:31,040
Gerizim, not Evil, to invite the
men of Shechem to share in

621
00:41:31,040 –> 00:41:33,440
blessing.
You know he didn’t call out from

622
00:41:34,080 –> 00:41:37,080
evil, he called out from Gerizim
because he wanted the men of

623
00:41:37,080 –> 00:41:41,040
Shechem to separate themselves
from that Bramble king, that

624
00:41:41,040 –> 00:41:46,120
they might not be consumed.
And it’s shorter than evil

625
00:41:48,000 –> 00:41:49,760
because fewer people choose
life.

626
00:41:50,040 –> 00:41:51,880
More people choose cursing than
blessing.

627
00:41:52,640 –> 00:41:56,080
And so this hill is just a
little bit shorter, although

628
00:41:56,080 –> 00:41:59,960
it’s right next to it.
It’s a little bit shorter.

629
00:42:01,560 –> 00:42:04,120
So we have the consequences of
our decisions.

630
00:42:04,120 –> 00:42:07,320
We can either have blessing or
we can have cursing.

631
00:42:07,600 –> 00:42:09,800
Now, of course, we would all say
to ourselves, we don’t want to

632
00:42:09,800 –> 00:42:11,840
be.
We all want life.

633
00:42:12,560 –> 00:42:14,200
We all want to be in God’s
Kingdom.

634
00:42:14,200 –> 00:42:19,280
We all want to receive blessing.
Well, Shechem reminds us of

635
00:42:19,280 –> 00:42:24,840
something else that helps us to
choose life, that helps us to

636
00:42:24,840 –> 00:42:29,360
choose blessing and not cursing.
If you come back to Deuteronomy,

637
00:42:29,360 –> 00:42:34,320
chapter 27 and the readings that
we had were given, the list of

638
00:42:34,320 –> 00:42:43,600
tribes that were to be on Mount
Gerizim, the six tribes on

639
00:42:43,600 –> 00:42:48,200
Gerizim, and the six tribes that
were to be upon Mount Eve.

640
00:42:50,200 –> 00:42:52,960
Verse 12 of Deuteronomy, Chapter
27.

641
00:42:54,280 –> 00:43:00,160
These shall stand upon Mount
Gerizim to bless people when

642
00:43:00,160 –> 00:43:06,760
they are come over Simeon and
Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph

643
00:43:06,760 –> 00:43:09,920
and Benjamin.
And these shall stand upon Mount

644
00:43:09,920 –> 00:43:17,600
Evil to curse Reuben, and Gad,
and Asher and Zebulun, Dan and

645
00:43:17,600 –> 00:43:20,400
Naphtala.
Now, have you ever wondered,

646
00:43:20,400 –> 00:43:24,520
brothers and sisters, why
certain tribes are on the hill

647
00:43:24,520 –> 00:43:28,480
of Blessing and certain tribes
are on the Hill of Cursing?

648
00:43:28,480 –> 00:43:32,720
I mean, why were those tribes
picked in verse 13 to be on the

649
00:43:32,720 –> 00:43:35,680
Hill of Cursing?
And why was it that, you know,

650
00:43:35,680 –> 00:43:38,000
Simeon that had such a rotten
history?

651
00:43:39,360 –> 00:43:41,400
Why is Simeon on the hill of
Blessing?

652
00:43:42,920 –> 00:43:46,840
I mean a few pages over in
Deuteronomy chapter 33, when the

653
00:43:46,840 –> 00:43:49,920
blessings are given upon the
tribes, Simeon’s not even

654
00:43:49,920 –> 00:43:55,240
mentioned.
Why is it that Simeon is placed

655
00:43:55,240 –> 00:43:57,400
in verse 12 with those tribes
that are on the Hill of

656
00:43:57,400 –> 00:43:59,760
Blessing?
Well, I think that there’s

657
00:43:59,800 –> 00:44:03,880
there’s an important principle
here in these tribes.

658
00:44:03,880 –> 00:44:08,000
I’d like to do a little exercise
now if I got to have a volunteer

659
00:44:08,000 –> 00:44:12,000
pass out some maps, what we’re
going to do is just going to

660
00:44:12,240 –> 00:44:16,560
have a look at these tribes and
see if we can find why certain

661
00:44:16,560 –> 00:44:19,320
tribes are on the Hill of
Blessing and certain tribes are

662
00:44:19,320 –> 00:44:23,320
on the Hill of Cursing.
If everyone could just take a

663
00:44:23,320 –> 00:44:25,680
map and if you had a colored
pencil.

664
00:44:25,680 –> 00:44:28,600
If you have a colored pencil or
a marker or something like that,

665
00:44:29,560 –> 00:44:33,080
we’ll just do a little exercise
with these tribes.

666
00:44:34,960 –> 00:44:38,120
Most of you will recognize that
this is a map of the 12 tribes

667
00:44:38,720 –> 00:44:40,360
in the land in their various
portion.

668
00:44:42,240 –> 00:44:48,720
Thanks for doing that.
Now let’s just note Buzz and

669
00:44:48,720 –> 00:44:57,440
Sisters verse 13.
Let’s note the tribes that are

670
00:44:57,440 –> 00:45:00,200
on the hill of Cursing.
The first tribe on the hill of

671
00:45:00,200 –> 00:45:05,040
Cursing is Reuben.
Now where was Reuben located?

672
00:45:05,280 –> 00:45:07,400
We know they were one of the
tribes that were on the other

673
00:45:07,400 –> 00:45:10,400
side.
Reuben is located right here.

674
00:45:11,920 –> 00:45:15,720
So with a coloring in pencil or
any sort of marker, just mark

675
00:45:16,320 –> 00:45:19,560
Reuben.
The next tribe is Gad.

676
00:45:19,920 –> 00:45:23,400
Now Gad is just north of Reuben.
Also on the other side of the

677
00:45:23,400 –> 00:45:29,080
Jordan Mark GED.
Next tribe is Asher.

678
00:45:29,080 –> 00:45:32,120
Now Asher is on the northwestern
side.

679
00:45:34,960 –> 00:45:38,080
Longmount, Carmel all the way up
to tire right here.

680
00:45:39,160 –> 00:45:44,440
Far north is Asher color in Ash.
The next tribe is Zebulon.

681
00:45:45,080 –> 00:45:48,880
Zebulon next to Asher right
here.

682
00:45:50,080 –> 00:45:53,960
Color in Zebulon.
Dan is next.

683
00:45:53,960 –> 00:45:55,920
Now, Dan is an interesting tribe
because remember, their

684
00:45:55,920 –> 00:45:59,840
inheritance initially was down
here in the northern part of the

685
00:45:59,840 –> 00:46:05,040
Shephilah, right where Jabba is.
But what did the tribe of Dan

686
00:46:05,040 –> 00:46:07,400
end up doing?
Well, they abandoned the

687
00:46:07,400 –> 00:46:10,800
inheritance that God had given
them, and they went all the way

688
00:46:10,800 –> 00:46:15,680
up here in the north to laish to
a people that were weak and easy

689
00:46:15,680 –> 00:46:18,400
to fight and overcome.
The tribe of the Danites

690
00:46:18,640 –> 00:46:22,400
abandoned this area here and
they ended up all the way up

691
00:46:22,400 –> 00:46:26,640
here.
So this little part up here,

692
00:46:28,280 –> 00:46:32,320
which the map I believe actually
highlights this Dan color in

693
00:46:32,320 –> 00:46:34,920
that little area up there,
you’ll recall that that’s the

694
00:46:34,920 –> 00:46:36,480
great conflict of Samson’s
light.

695
00:46:37,360 –> 00:46:40,440
This tribe of the Danites had
failed to take their inheritance

696
00:46:40,440 –> 00:46:44,200
down here, and they went way up
in the north of the land where

697
00:46:44,200 –> 00:46:47,320
the pickings were easy.
The coloring Dan right up there

698
00:46:47,320 –> 00:46:54,720
at the very, very top.
And then lastly, the tribe of

699
00:46:54,720 –> 00:46:59,880
Naftalai, Naftalai is right next
to Dan here in the very, very

700
00:46:59,880 –> 00:47:06,000
north in the Galilee hills.
All right.

701
00:47:06,480 –> 00:47:10,160
Now look at your map.
Where are the tribes that are on

702
00:47:10,160 –> 00:47:14,920
the Hill of Cursing?
They’re all on the perimeter.

703
00:47:16,080 –> 00:47:20,000
They’re all on the outside or
they’re on the other side of the

704
00:47:20,000 –> 00:47:25,280
Jordan.
Where are the tribes that are on

705
00:47:25,280 –> 00:47:28,000
the hill of blessing?
They’re right in the very

706
00:47:28,000 –> 00:47:32,040
centre.
Even Simeon really belongs to

707
00:47:32,040 –> 00:47:35,680
Judah because they were put in
the inside, the tribe of of

708
00:47:35,680 –> 00:47:37,960
Judah.
As punishment, divide them in

709
00:47:37,960 –> 00:47:41,280
Jacob, scatter them in Israel.
So Simeon, even though it had a

710
00:47:41,280 –> 00:47:44,240
very checkered past, is on the
hill of Blessing, of course,

711
00:47:44,240 –> 00:47:47,960
because it belongs to Judah,
which is right in the very heart

712
00:47:48,960 –> 00:47:51,160
of the land.
So if you look at the tribes,

713
00:47:51,760 –> 00:47:55,200
the borders of the tribes on the
hill of Blessing Gerizim, their

714
00:47:55,200 –> 00:48:00,040
borders all converge around the
center around Shechem.

715
00:48:02,000 –> 00:48:04,000
Where are the tribes that are on
the Hill of Cursing?

716
00:48:04,560 –> 00:48:08,480
They’re all on the perimeter on
the outskirts.

717
00:48:09,840 –> 00:48:14,320
Now, Shechem is all about
choosing life, and the best way

718
00:48:14,320 –> 00:48:20,720
that we can find blessing in our
lives is to be active at the

719
00:48:20,720 –> 00:48:24,560
center of our ecclesias, with
God as the basis of our lives.

720
00:48:26,440 –> 00:48:29,600
That’s the principle of why
these tribes, I believe, are on

721
00:48:29,600 –> 00:48:32,400
the Hill of Blessing and why
other tribes are on the Hill of

722
00:48:32,400 –> 00:48:36,320
Cursing, because geographically,
they teach us a lesson.

723
00:48:36,600 –> 00:48:39,280
The tribes that are on the Hill
of Cursing are all on the

724
00:48:39,280 –> 00:48:42,000
outskirts.
They’re all on the perimeter.

725
00:48:42,480 –> 00:48:45,440
The tribes that are on the Hill
of Blessing are right in the

726
00:48:45,440 –> 00:48:50,360
middle.
And so the best way to choose

727
00:48:50,360 –> 00:48:55,840
life is to be active at the
center of our Ecclesia.

728
00:48:56,080 –> 00:48:58,920
When the Ecclesia needs a job
done.

729
00:49:00,760 –> 00:49:02,520
You don’t say, well, I’ve got to
walk the dog.

730
00:49:03,560 –> 00:49:06,480
I’m not qualified.
You put your hand up and you say

731
00:49:06,760 –> 00:49:11,720
I will do it.
Active at the heart of the

732
00:49:11,720 –> 00:49:13,600
Ecclesia.
We have these two references up

733
00:49:13,600 –> 00:49:16,560
here which for lack of time we
won’t look at.

734
00:49:16,560 –> 00:49:20,720
But Numbers Chapter 11 verse one
and Deuteronomy chapter 25,

735
00:49:20,720 –> 00:49:24,920
verses 17 to 19.
Where were the complainers in

736
00:49:24,920 –> 00:49:29,240
the camp of Israel in Numbers
Chapter 11, Tabara?

737
00:49:29,720 –> 00:49:33,480
Well, it says they were in the
outside parts of the camp, in

738
00:49:33,480 –> 00:49:36,280
the uttermost parts of the camp.
That was where complaining

739
00:49:36,280 –> 00:49:39,800
originated, and it’s very often
where complaining in the

740
00:49:39,800 –> 00:49:42,720
Ecclesia originates from the
fringes.

741
00:49:43,560 –> 00:49:47,360
Deuteronomy chapter 25 is
speaking about Amalek.

742
00:49:47,640 –> 00:49:51,840
And who did Amalek attack?
It was those that were on the

743
00:49:51,840 –> 00:49:54,440
outside, the stragglers at the
back.

744
00:49:55,400 –> 00:49:58,160
They didn’t go after Aaron and
her and Moses and the people at

745
00:49:58,160 –> 00:50:01,160
the front, the fighting men,
they didn’t go after those that

746
00:50:01,160 –> 00:50:03,760
were active in the center, they
went after the weakling.

747
00:50:06,000 –> 00:50:09,920
And the tribes that are on the
outside are the tribes that are

748
00:50:09,920 –> 00:50:13,280
on the hill of curse.
The tribes that are on the

749
00:50:13,760 –> 00:50:17,080
inside are on the hill of
blessing.

750
00:50:17,080 –> 00:50:22,040
So where are you in in your
cliche outside?

751
00:50:23,600 –> 00:50:26,560
Just show up on Sunday morning
and then don’t see your brothers

752
00:50:26,560 –> 00:50:27,840
and sisters again for another
week?

753
00:50:29,480 –> 00:50:34,120
Or are we active at the heart of
our cliche shouldn’t come as any

754
00:50:34,120 –> 00:50:37,800
surprise.
You know that Shechem city of

755
00:50:37,800 –> 00:50:45,480
refuge, because refuge is found
only to those that choose light,

756
00:50:46,280 –> 00:50:50,200
and there are steadfast,
unmovable and always abounding

757
00:50:50,920 –> 00:50:53,760
the work of their God.
I’d like to close brothers and

758
00:50:53,760 –> 00:50:56,160
sisters with some words from
Zephaniah chapter 3.

759
00:51:00,760 –> 00:51:05,320
Shechem has some wonderful
things to teach us.

760
00:51:05,800 –> 00:51:09,920
We have to choose light, We have
to accept our responsibilities.

761
00:51:09,920 –> 00:51:14,640
And you know one day all the
world will come to appreciate

762
00:51:14,640 –> 00:51:17,320
the importance and the
significance of this term and

763
00:51:17,320 –> 00:51:20,480
this place and the history of
these things that we revel in.

764
00:51:20,480 –> 00:51:24,760
Now this is the last occurrence
of the word Shechem in our Old

765
00:51:24,760 –> 00:51:32,160
Testament.
It’s in Zephaniah chapter 3, a

766
00:51:32,160 –> 00:51:36,720
very unique verses we know in
the Hebrew language Zephaniah

767
00:51:36,720 –> 00:51:39,840
chapter 3 and verse 9.
For then, Speaking of the

768
00:51:39,840 –> 00:51:45,000
Kingdom age, I will turn to the
people a pure language.

769
00:51:46,560 –> 00:51:50,880
They’ll all know the truth that
they may all call upon the name

770
00:51:50,880 –> 00:51:54,600
of Yahweh.
Remember Abraham?

771
00:51:55,800 –> 00:51:58,480
He pitched his tent and he
called upon the name of Yahweh.

772
00:51:58,640 –> 00:52:02,800
He built an altar to serve him
with one consent.

773
00:52:02,800 –> 00:52:07,240
Now the word consent there, as
the margin indicates, is the

774
00:52:07,240 –> 00:52:14,680
word shoulder or shekel.
All the earth will one day call

775
00:52:14,680 –> 00:52:18,880
upon the name of Yahweh and
serve him with one Shechem.

776
00:52:19,280 –> 00:52:22,040
They will accept their
responsibilities, which the Lord

777
00:52:22,040 –> 00:52:25,920
Jesus Christ and the Saints will
put upon them, and they will

778
00:52:25,920 –> 00:52:29,080
learn the importance of the
place that we have considered

779
00:52:29,080 –> 00:52:33,200
this morning.
Brothers and sisters, let us

780
00:52:33,360 –> 00:52:50,160
choose life.
Thank you for listening to the

781
00:52:50,160 –> 00:52:51,800
good Crystal Adelphian Talks
Podcast.

782
00:52:52,600 –> 00:52:55,040
We hope this talk helped you in
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783
00:52:55,040 –> 00:52:57,400
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784
00:52:57,400 –> 00:52:59,160
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785
00:52:59,560 –> 00:53:02,760
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786
00:53:03,920 –> 00:53:06,400
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787
00:53:06,400 –> 00:53:08,320
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788
00:53:08,360 –> 00:53:09,800
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789
00:53:09,800 –> 00:53:13,680
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790
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795
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798
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799
00:53:40,080 –> 00:53:42,000
God bless and talk to you next
week.